Mark Stoops' team looks for answers after SEC loss

Here are three takeaways from the Wildcats' disheartening 14-point home loss to the Auburn Tigers:

The Wildcats were down with their top two running backs. Who were also their most experienced backfield options: Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and Chip Trayanum. That left Jamarion Wilcox and Jason Patterson — a redshirt freshman and freshman, respectively — at running back.

The pair combined for 63 yards and a touchdown (by Wilcox) on 13 carries.

“I thought they did a good job,” said Great Britain coach Mark Stoops. “I thought (Auburn) played really well up front. They kind of controlled the game with their front line.”

Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan declined to say that the absence of the two veterans affected the plays he was able to run Saturday.

“It’s part of the job,” he said. “So every week you have to figure out who that is, who to target, who to get the ball. Again, the biggest thing today was just the feeling (like we did) of getting behind the posts again and again and… and.” – long situations, third and long situations – that probably won't be a strength for any team, but for us in the For now, this is certainly something we need to avoid.

He also had no doubt that they lacked touch.

“I just think you have to make that decision — if you feel like you can continue to work on (Auburn's defense),” he said. “And as a play caller, I just didn’t feel that way. I just felt like it was behind the sticks and had a decent amount of time behind it. We knew they had a very talented front line. … We said it before: It wasn't clear from their balance sheet which players they had on the top seven.

“And we felt like we needed to put more shots down the field and try to score quicker rather than try to tire them out.”

Saturday's loss was Kentucky's seventh straight home setback against a conference opponent. It's a continuation of recent futility in front of his loyal fans at Kroger Field. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Wildcats have an impressive league record of 2-10 in Lexington. They were 1-3 in 2022 and 2023 before going 0 this fall.

The situation won't get any better next year, as UK flips its conference games starting this season. That means the four SEC opponents that will set foot in Lexington will be Florida, Ole Miss, Texas and Tennessee.

The Gators, who have beaten the Wildcats in 34 of the last 38 meetings. The Volunteers, who have led the Stoops team nine times in 11 meetings, hold a decisive 84-26-9 lead heading into next week's game in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Longhorns, who have clearly re-established themselves among the country's elite. And the Rebels, who came within just a fourth-down throw last month to have a 4-0 record against Stoops.

You wouldn't be able to predict a Kentucky win in any of these games, that's for sure.

JJ Weaver was a key contributor to the no points being scored near the end of the first half on Saturday. Weavers, a sixth-year senior linebacker from Louisville, sacked Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne. Weaver injured himself and suffered an ankle injury. But knowing the Tigers had no more timeouts left, he limped to the line of scrimmage as the visitors rushed their field goal unit onto the field; Had he fallen to the ground after his injury, the whistle would have blown, giving Auburn the opportunity to trot its kicking unit onto the field without worrying about the clock.

“That was a very big play for him to limp over — and we yelled at him to do that,” Stoops said. “But the players have a lot to do and play hard. He gets a sack and is injured.”

“But (Weaver’s) awareness (of knowing) that they don’t have any more time off? It doesn't always happen like that, you know? So it was great that he came back and got in line and time ran out.”

Weaver did not return to the contest in the second half.

“It’s super unfortunate,” Hardaway said. “That's not to say you'd rather let another guy go down, but you definitely don't want to see JJ go down with all the things he does for this team.”

“He’s such a great leader, always there for us, man. That's why I hate this for him. I made sure that I could go there and share my love with him to let him know that I'm there for him (and) I'm praying for him.

On his final play of the night, he demonstrated both courage and football IQ.

“It just shows what kind of team guy he is,” Hardaway said. “He makes a lot of sacrifices for this team. This is just one of them.”

Reach Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.